Hand-strap.



C. C. CHAPPELLE.

HAND STRAP.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 28. I916.

1,229,230. V Patented June 12, 1917 CHARLES C. CHAPPELLE, OF NEW YORK, N. Y,

HAND-STRAP.

Specification of Letters Patent. I Patented J 11110 12, 1917.

Application filed October 28, 1916. Serial No. 128,190.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. CHAP- rnLLn, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county and State of New York, have made a certain new and useful Invention in Hand-Straps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to hand straps, and more particularly to hand straps employed on street cars, busses, trains or the like.

The object of the invention is to primarily provide a hand strap that is efficient for the purpose required, and which is exceedingly light, durable, and cheap to manufacture.

A further object of the invention is to provide a handstrap which is self disinfecting and consequently sanitary.

A further object of the invention is to provide a hand strap which may be supported by the usual leather strips, but wherein the amount of leather required for that purpose is greatly diminished.

Further objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

The invention consists substantially in the construction, combination, location and relative arrangement of parts, all as will be more fully hereinafter set forth, as shown by the accompanying drawing, and finally pointed out by the appended claims.

Referring to the drawing Figure 1 is a view in side elevation, partly broken, of a hand strap embodying my invention.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the same taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figs. 3 and 4 are views of modified forms of inserts employed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing a modified structure.

The same part is designated by the same reference numerals wherever it occurs throughout the several views.

The problems encountered in the art to which this invention is directed, are many. The first and fundamental requirement for hand straps is that the same be sanitary. The second in importance is the cost of manufacture and the life of the hand strap. For many years leather hand straps have been used, but due to the high cost of leather, the short life of the leather, due to the acids absorbed by the same from perspiring hands, the necessity of disinfecting the straps frequently, the leather hand strap is undesirable and cxceedingsly expensive. I-Iand straps of white metal and other compositions have been tried, but the cost of manufacture, due to the weight of the strap, and the little tobe desired form that such straps have had to have in the endeavor to use as little material as possible to keep down the cost of manufacture, has made these non-acceptable in the art. Straps of hard light brittle substances have been tried, but the breakage has caused straps of this type to be abandoned. Likewise, straps with celluloid jackets have been tried but the fire hazard makes straps of this nature undesirable.

It is among the special purposes of my present invention to provide a hard smooth hand strap which is exceptionally light and cheap to manufacture, and which is nonbreakable, non-inflammable, and is self disinfecting, and consequently sanitary.

In accordance with my invention I provide a body portion 1 of any desired form or size, and preferably with a hand bulge 2 to fit the hand when holding the strap. This body portion I make of a wood or other composition of bakelite, in which composition a small excess of either carbolic acid or formaldehyde is employed. The hand strap is formed in a mold, and when the composition is hardened, a hard, non-breakable, non-inflammable strap is secured, with a permanently hard, smooth surface from which emanates the fumes of the carbolic acid or formaldehyde in the composition, I have found that though ordinarily the fumes of the carbolic acid or formaldehyde are insuiiicient to be ordinarily detected, they are sufficient to effectively at all times disinfect the hand strap.

Before pouring the bakelite composition in the molds, a stud 3 of any suitable metal, provided with a nut head 4: at one end, and a comparatively fiat body portion 5 is placed in the mold so that the stud and head 3 and 4: will be anchored in the strap casting. The strap can be supported from the ceiling of the car or the strap rail of the car in many ways. I show several ways that this can be done. In Fig. 1 the leather strips 6 are passed over the strap rail, not shown, and are riveted to the opposite sides of the insert 5 by rivets 7 In Fig. 3, I show a simple formof insert 3 the top portion of which is formed into a loop or slot 8 to permit a strip 6 to pass therethrough and be buckled or otherwise secured inplace. lVhere chains or similar supporting members are employed, I

provide the insert 3 with a circular top portion 9, as shown in Fig. i, to allow the suspension of the hand strap.

In Fig. 5 I show a still further modified arrangement wherein the casting of the hand strap anchors the insert in the body portion by flowing freely through the holes of the insert.

lVhile I have shown and described specific structures embodying the principles of my invention, it will be understood that many changes in detail and form "will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the scope of my invention as defined in the claims. Therefore, what I claim as new and useful, and of my own invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent is,-

1. A hand strap comprising a body portion formed in a mold and an insert an:

ohored in said body portion by the casting thereof, and means for securing suspension strips to said insert.

2. A hand strap comprising a body por-.

strap, and provided with means for receiv- L mg a suspension strip.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, in the presence of the subscribing witnesses, on this20th day of October, A. D. 1916.

CHARLES C. OHAPPELLE.

Gopies of this patent may be obtained for 'five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

